Sep., 9o I

THE CONDOR 7 Summer Observations in BY F. S. DAGGETT, N June 26 I started on a long trip which included a wagon drive from Pasadena, Cal., via Saugus, Antelope Valley, Ft. Tejon, Bakersfield, Visalia and thence up the North Fork of the Kaweah where the wagon was left. The journey was then continued with pack animals to the Giant Forest, then along the western divide to King's River canyon, Bubb's Creek and the system of alpine lakes near Mr. Brewer and Kersarge Pass. Intense heat was encountered in the valleys, the thermometer ranging as high as  5 at Rose's station. At Bull- frog Lake at an elevation of ,ooo feet, the other extreme was met with, when ice formed on the meadows at night. This wide range of conditions included a vast faunal region which at best could be examined only in a super- ficial way, but over one hundred varie- ties of birds were identified, besides many doubtful species seen but. not re- corded. In' the cultivated sction about Pasa- dena the common birds include the mockers, house finches, Brewers black birds, Bullock's and Arizona hooded orioles, etc., but the change is sudden when the San Fernando valley is reached where the cactus wren, thrash- ers, Bells sparrows and birds of the dry wash region predominate. At the Newhall cut a prightly pair of dotted canyon wrens worked down a dry run in the hard pan not ten feet from where we toiled up the stiff grade, the male stopping the whole expedi- tion by running down the scale in clear loud notes. To my mind the song of this bird is the most captivating of all the southern songsters. The Antelope Valley presents another area entirely different, for it has reverted from its former grain growing condition to that of an arm of the Mobave desert. Thousands of Mex- ican horned larks (Otocorfs afpesfris the Southern Sierras. PASADEIA, CAL. ctrysolama) were seen in flocks of twenty to fifty. There is little protec- tion for them from the sun and we found them standing in rows in the shade of fence posts and milk weed, with mouths wide open when the ther- mometer marked xo8 on June 2 7 . Full-fledged young were in the flocks on that date. At the upper end of the valley sev- eral hundred ravens had congregated and all were feeding on grasshoppers which were constantly flying ahead of them whenever the birds moved. Many attempted the flycatcher habit of tak- ing them on the wing, but such at- tempts, judging from their awkward antics must have often failed. Several dozen Swainsoh's hawks were also en- gaged in the same occupation, but these made no attempt to catch the grasshoppers on the wing. Unlike the horned larks which were very tame, the ravens and hawks kept a long rifle shot away. X,Vhen we re- turned through this section July 3 , the grasshoppers were more than ever in evidence, but it being late in the after- noon, after feeding time, the ravens were having a rollicking time on the smooth surface of a large hill on one side of the valley. Unlike the crows under similar conditions they were quite silent. Between the head of the Antelope and the San Joaquin valleys is a rough country, but it contains a stretch of valley covered with magnificent oaks, one said to be the largest in the state being nearly 33 feet i-n circumference. This spot is of particular interest to bird students for here is the site of old Fort Tejon, the objective point of many of the earlier government expeditions and from which much exploration was done. Here in the 'SO'S John Xantus made extensive collections, and to this locality we first owe such birds as the spotted owl, Hammond's flycatcher,